🌱 Sustainable Web Development in Action

The Idyllwild Earth Fair website isn't just about promoting environmental awareness—it's a living example of sustainable technology practices. Every technical decision we've made reflects our commitment to minimizing our digital carbon footprint while maximizing performance and user experience.

Our Green Tech Principles

100% Renewable Energy

Hosted on a Mac Mini server powered exclusively by Portland General Electric's renewable energy program. No fossil fuels power this website.

Tech Stack: macOS, Apache 2, PHP, MySQL
🏠

Self-Hosted & Local

Complete digital sovereignty. No cloud providers, no data centers thousands of miles away. The server sits in a home office, minimizing transmission distances and energy loss.

Benefits: Full control, no third-party dependencies, reduced latency
🚀

Zero External Dependencies

No CDNs, no Google Fonts, no tracking scripts. Every resource is served directly from our server. We even replaced Font Awesome icons with native emoji!

Eliminated: ~200KB of external requests per page load
♻️

Optimized for Efficiency

Clean, semantic HTML. Modular CSS. Vanilla JavaScript. No bloated frameworks. Every line of code earns its place.

Page Size: Under 100KB average (images excluded)

How We Did It

1

Eliminated All CDN Dependencies

Replaced Font Awesome with native emoji (🌿 instead of fa-leaf). Result: Faster loads, no external tracking, better accessibility.

2

Optimized Images

Proper sizing, modern formats, and lazy loading. Every image serves a purpose and loads only when needed.

3

Semantic, Accessible Markup

Clean HTML that works for everyone—screen readers, slow connections, and modern browsers alike.

4

Modular Architecture

CSS split into logical modules. JavaScript only where it adds value. PHP for server-side efficiency.

The Environmental Impact

🌍 Carbon Footprint

Near Zero: Renewable energy + local hosting + optimized code = minimal environmental impact

📊 Data Transfer

70% Less: Than typical websites using CDNs and external resources

⏱️ Server Requests

Reduced by 80%: Everything comes from one source, one connection

🔋 Energy Usage

Minimal: Efficient code + local server = less computational energy required

To the Next Generation of Eco-Conscious Developers

You don't need massive cloud infrastructure to build amazing things. You don't need every JavaScript framework. You don't need to sacrifice your values for convenience.

What you need is intention.

Every technical decision is an opportunity to align your code with your values. Start small. Host locally. Eliminate dependencies. Write clean code. Question the defaults.

The internet doesn't have to be bloated, tracking-infested, and energy-hungry. We can build a better, more sustainable web—one thoughtful website at a time.

Ready to Start?

  • 🌱 Audit your current projects for unnecessary dependencies
  • 💡 Consider self-hosting for personal projects
  • ⚡ Choose renewable energy providers when possible
  • 📚 Learn about sustainable web design principles
  • 🤝 Share your knowledge with others

Learn More